LITMIR.BIZ

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his prank after our engagement is announced.”

      Even though they weren’t engaged, according to Vik.

      It suddenly occurred to her that they hadn’t come to the overlook for privacy to discuss Perry.

      Even so, she needed to know one thing. “How much?”

      “Did we pay him?”

      “Yes.”

      “The way his apology will play, he’ll get to keep his fifty thousand from the tabloid.” Vik didn’t sound particularly happy about that fact.

      “And?”

      “The only thing I gave Timwater was my word not to destroy his name in the business world. The nondisclosure agreement guarantees we will not sue him in civil court, either—so long as he keeps his side of it.”

      “He never would have believed I would do that.”

      “I would. Regardless of if it was on behalf of the company rather than you, Timwater would be just as screwed.”

      “You’re ruthless.”

      “It’s not just an Archer family trait. We do what we need to get what is important to us.”

      “Like marrying the owner’s daughter to take control of a Fortune 500 company.”

      “Yes.”

      “Thank you.”

      “For?”

      “Not trying to pretend this is something else.” No matter what her heart wanted.

      “What exactly do you think this is?”

      “Necessary.”

      He nodded. “Yes, but it will be a marriage in every sense of the word. You do realize that?”

      “You mean...”

      “Sex. We will not be living celibate lives.”

      “No affairs?” Not that she would be willing to take this step if she thought he was a womanizer, if she herself had plans to look outside the marriage for that kind of companionship.

      “No affairs,” he repeated, making no attempt to suppress how disgusting he considered the idea.

      Vik wasn’t that guy.

      He was the grandson of a very traditional Russian man. Vik would never do anything that would disappoint the old man. He thought his father had done enough of that.

      He’d shared that, and a lot more she hadn’t expected him to, when they were friends during her teen years. He’d never been like a brother, but he had been one of the few people she’d believed she could rely on back then.

      Could she rely on him now?

      “Be very sure you understand what I am saying here, Madison.” Vik reached across the console and cupped her nape in a move that was becoming familiar. “I am not Maxwell Black. My children will not be conceived in a test tube.”

      “Of course not.” Whatever their feelings for each other, this situation was very personal for him.

      He nodded like that had settled everything still left unsaid between them. She wasn’t so sure she agreed, but she didn’t hesitate to get out of the car with him.

      They took the path to the overlook, Maddie grateful she’d worn the sensible pumps and that the ground was dry. Neither of them spoke while they walked, but he kept his hand on the small of her back, moving it to her elbow in the uneven patches of terrain.

      When they stopped, they were at one of the favorite overlooks that gave a view of both the famous bridge and the San Francisco skyline. A few tourists dotted the area, but none near enough to hear any discussion she and Vik might have.

      Vik maneuvered them so he stood only a few inches from her, his body acting as a barrier against the incessant winds off the harbor. The close and clearly protective positioning felt significant.

      “My grandfather gave my grandmother her first view of San Francisco in this very spot,” Vik said after a moment of silent contemplation of the vista before them. “He promised her a future with food to put on the table for their family. A future without oppression for their Orthodox beliefs.”

      “He kept his promise.”

      “Yes.” Vik went silent for several seconds of contemplation. “Grandfather brought my dad up here as a child. Misha told Frank he could be anything he wanted to, a true American with no accent, his name just like all the other boys’.”

      “Your grandfather gave your father the freedom to be anything he wanted to.”

      “Even a failure.”

      She couldn’t argue that assessment, not when she knew Frank Beck had spent his adulthood running from responsibility. Unless something had changed in the last six years, Frank only contacted Vik when he wanted something. Usually money.

      Placing her hand on his forearm, Maddie said, “He didn’t fail when he fathered you.”

      “Misha and Ana raised me to be who I am.”

      “An undisputable success.”

      Vik turned to face her. “You believe that?”

      “I do.”

      “That is good.”

      She smiled, not sure why she felt the need to reassure Viktor Beck, but determined to do it anyway.

      “Deda brought me up here, too, when I was boy. Frank could not be bothered, but I made promises to myself, commitments to the children I would one day father. Promises I will keep.”

      “I have no doubt.”

      Vik’s gaze warmed, his expression filled with unmistakable determination. “My grandparents were not in love when they married, but theirs is one of the strongest marriages I have ever witnessed.”

      “They are devoted to each other.”

      “And to their family, even my dad.”

      “I believe it.”

      Vik nodded, his dark eyes reflecting approval of her words. “That kind of dedication runs in my veins right along with the ruthlessness.”

      “I know.”

      Vik laid his big hands on her shoulders, creating a private world of two for them. “I believe our children will share those traits.”

      “No doubt.” There was nothing she could do about how breathless her voice had become.

      He was touching her, and even through the fabric of her Valentino suit jacket and the shell she wore under it, she felt the connection intimately.

      “Considering it will come from both their mother and their father, our children have little hope otherwise.”

      “I’m not ruthless,” she said, shocked by the accusation.

      “The paperwork you signed today would say otherwise.”

      “You know that isn’t the way I usually do things.” It just had been...necessary.

      “Ruthlessness does not have to be the dominant trait in your nature for you to have it.”

      “And it doesn’t bother you?”

      “That you’ll fight for those who deserve your loyalty, even those who do not? No.”

      “You expect to deserve my loyalty.”

      “Yes.”

      “And will I get yours?”

      His expression said her question surprised him. “Do you doubt it?”

      “Six years ago...”

      “You kissed me and I pushed you away.”

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